1. Lent and Easter in the Gospel of John
Clonliffe College
February 25th 2017

2. A Different Gospel
Sets aside the narrative framework of the synoptics.
No attention to “Kingdom” demons or exorcisms, parables, miracles, forgiveness
Focus on Jesus as Revealer
Focus on Signs
Focus on Jerusalem and Temple
Focus on Discourse

3. The Gospel of John in Year A
3rd Sunday of Lent – The Samaritan Woman (4)
4th Sunday of Lent – The Man born Blind (9)
5th Sunday of Lent - The Raising of Lazarus (11)
Good Friday The Passion (Jn 18-19)
Easter Sunday The Empty Tomb (20:1-9)

4. The Sequence for Today Session 1: John a Different Gospel
Session 2: A Woman and A Man
Session 3: Life brings Death – Lazarus
Session 4: Holy Week in John

5. Clement of Alexandria (150 – 215)D)
Writing about the order in which the Gospels were written: But, last of all, JOHN, perceiving that the external facts had been made plain in the Gospel, being urged by his friends, and inspired by the Spirit, composed a spiritual Gospel." This is the account of Clement. (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History )

6. Symbolic Presentation
Light (1, 8-9, 11)
Life (1, 4, 5, 11)
Glory (1, 11, 13-17)
Water (4, 7, 9)
Bread (6)
Vine (15)
Lamb of God (1, 18-19)

7. Structure supports Symbolic Reading
1:1-18 Prologue – In the beginning was the Word
2:1 – 12:50 The Book of Signs – Jesus did this, the first of his signs…
13:1- 19:42 The Book of Glory – The hour has come, glorify your Son
20:1-21:25 Resurrection – Written so that you may believe….

8. The Gospel of John as a Meditation on Easter
…These are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that through believing you may have life in his name

9. Everything in John Points to Easter
On the third day there was a wedding…
The lifting up of the Son of Man
The “I am” sayings
The Washing of the Feet
Every discourse only makes sense in the light of Easter (Nicodemus, Samaritan Woman, Bread of Life, Man born Blind, Lazarus)

10. So what happened…?
Our Reflection is based on a presupposition that the locus of revelation is not the historical events that the text describes but the text itself.
The search for “what really happened” assumes that if we get back to the ‘authentic’ deeds or sayings of Jesus then we have the core of what is revealed. The Gospel of John suggests something different.
“The revelatory character of Scripture is a property of Scripture as text not of the text as factual record” (S. Schneiders)

11. The Way to Samaria Context: The Journey to Faith
The Wedding in Cana – Disciples come to faith (2:1-11)
The Cleansing of the Temple – Anticipating a new way of Worship (2:13-22)
Nicodemus – A Leader in Israel, seeks him at night (3:1-21)

12. Discourses in John’s Gospel
A Stylistic Device used to develop key themes Proceeds on the basis of misunderstanding and irony Each statement represents a deepening of the revelation Usually with Individuals but also with “The Jews” (5 & 6)

13. Samaria – A Little History
Tensions based on Temple worship and interpretation of Scripture Origins in Old Testament Period and return from the Exile (2Kings 17, Ezra 4) Persecution by John Hyrcanus, Hasmonean king in 113BC

14. A Woman of Samaria…
Wells – places of special encounter in the biblical tradition. Gen 24, 29, Ex 2. (Isaac, Jacob and Moses) God guided through them the wilderness and gave them the gift of water: “Gather the people together and I will give them water. Then the people of Israel sang this song|: Spring up O well! Sing to it ! - the well that the leaders sank… (Numbers 16:16-18) Samaria – a place where God clearly IS NOT! (according to the prevailing orthodoxy see 2Kings 17:29-34)

15. The Dialogue and Coming to Faith
Living Water 4:7-15
True Worship 4:16-26
4:9 A Jew 4:11 Sir 4:15 Sir 4:19 Prophet 4:25 Messiah 4:42 Saviour

16. What is the story about? “If only you knew what God is offering…”
“Anyone who drinks the water I shall give will never be thirsty again..”
“We no longer believe because of what you have told us.. We have heard him ourselves and we know he really is the Saviour of the world”

17. St Augustine on the Samaritan Woman
“We must listen to ourselves speaking in her.
We must recognize ourselves
in her person;
and in her person we must thank God for ourselves”

18. Jewish Feasts in John
Chs 5-11 indicate growing opposition to Jesus and the revelation he brings
5 healing of paralytic – Sabbath
6 Multiplication of Loaves – Passover
7-9 Controversy – Tabernacles
Jesus is portrayed as bringing about what the Jewish liturgy anticipates and longs for yet has failed to accomplish

19. The Feast of Tabernacles and Jn 9
Jewish Feast of Tabernacles.
Uses symbols of Water (brought from Siloam) and Light
In 7: he has claimed to be the living water
In 8:12, 9:5 he claims to be the light of the world

20. Structure of John 9
9:1-7 Jesus Light of the World: “go and wash” hint of baptismal liturgy
9: First questioning of man
9: Second questioning – He is a prophet
9: Questioning of his parents
9: Third questioning – He is from God
9: Jesus questions him: he believes and worships
9: Jesus responds to the Pharisees

21. The Problem of Sin
Story begins with a question about the nature of sin that sets up the tension in the narrative.
Ends with Jesus’ comment on sin in the light of all that has unfolded in the story.
Why the man suffered is not told
That God wishes to end his plight is affirmed

22. A narrative about faith and unbelief
The blind man sees – comes to faith
What this means for him unfolds and he suffers for it.
Jesus is “a man”
“a prophet”
“from God”
“he worships”

23. Who knows what? “I do not know” (12) “This man is not from God (16)
The Blind Man
“I do not know” (12)
I do not know whether he is a sinner (24)
One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see (25)
The Pharisees
“This man is not from God (16)
“We know that this man is a sinner” (24)
“We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” (29)

24. Conclusion 9:35-41
The blind man has come to sight and the “seeing” Pharisees have been exposed as blind.
Sin consists not in being born blind (in a sense everyone is) but in refusing to believe when one has seen the power of God at work in Jesus who is offering life in its fullness.

25. The Raising of Lazarus 11:1-44
Summary and climax of the seven signs
Jesus manifests his glory (2:11, 11:4)
He gives light (9:7, 11:9-10)
He gives life (5:24-25, 25-27)
Begin with idea of resurrection – read from Ezek 37 for the prayer.
Connect to the idea of life as relationship.

26. Structure of Lazarus Story
11:1-16 The scene setting with emphasis on the themes of glory, light, and life.
11:17-27 Jesus and Martha –What she hopes for in the future is here now in the person of Jesus
11:28-32 Jesus and Mary; she falls at his feet (an attitude of faith but the question remains “..if you had been here…”)
11:33-37 Jesus weeps … “see how he loved him.”
11:38-44 Jesus and Lazarus - in a person coming to life the glory of God is revealed.

27. Life Leading to Death
Giving life is the reason for his death 11: The reason for his death is to gather into one all the scattered children of God “And I when I am lifted up from the earth will draw all people to myself” (12:32) His death is life-giving 12: “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies it remains just a single grain; but if it dies it bears much fruit.”

28. Last Supper in John: Words spoken to an Easter Church…
The Foot washing: 13:1-20
The Gift of the Spirit 14:15-17, ; 16:7-15
The Vine 15: The Prayer to the Father 17:1-5

29. Preparation for the Passion in John
Three key terms help to prepare for the Passion as the culmination of the Revelation that Jesus brings.
Glory (doza – doxa)
Hour (w-ra – hora)
Lifting up (u-ywQh,nai – hypsothenai)
From the outset the symbolic narrative of the Fourth Gospel alludes to and prepares for the death of Jesus but not with the language of suffering and rejection. On the contrary the evangelist will speak of glory and exaltation.

30. Glory
In the OT the glory of God is associated with any theophany or manifestation of the divine presence but especially with Sinai:
Ex 24:10, 33:18-22, Deut 5:24
"Look, the LORD our God has shown us his glory and greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that God may speak to someone and the person may still live.

31. In John Glory is Manifested…
In the event of the incarnation, (1:14)
In the first and the last of the seven signs of Jesus (2:11, 11:40)
In the passion (12:23, 17:1)
In the love that exists between Jesus and the Father and which is given to the disciples (17:22-23)

32. The Hour
The notion behind the hour is the moment or time of salvation when God intervenes on behalf of his people (Dan 12:1)
The hour of Jesus in John refers consistently to the passion.
2:4, 7:30, 8:20, 12:23, 13:1, 17:1

33. The Lifting Up
Unlike in the synoptics there is no “prediction” of the Passion in John.
The verb “to lift up” usually refers to being exalted (Luke 1:52, Acts 5:31)
Three times in John it is used to interpret the Passion
3:14 Lifted up for our healing
8:28 Lifted up so that we might “know”
12:34 Lifted up to gather together all God’s children

34. The Accounts of the Passion
The Synpotics
Gospel of John
Agony in Gethsemane
No trial before Caiaphas
Beatings and insults
Cry of abandonment
Alone at the cross (Mark)
Earthquake (Matthew)
No agony in the Garden
Trial Before Pilate
Behold the Man
Behold your King
Carries his own Cross
The Title of Jesus on Cross
No insults on Calvary
Disciple and Mother at Cross
“It is accomplished”
Piercing of Side

35. The Passover and the Passion
Six days before Passover (Jn12:1) The time the lambs were set aside
Standing outside to avoid defilement (18:28)
The moment of Judgement (whose?) (19:14) The time when the lambs were slaughtered
The ingathering of the children of God (19:26-27)

36. On the Cross 19:16-37 Each of the scenes a manifestation of the glory
19:16-22 Proclaimed as King
19:23-24 The seamless garment and Scripture fulfilled
19:25-27 The new people of God
19:28-30 God’s will accomplished and the Scriptures are fulfilled
19:31-37 Jesus giving his life gives new life in the blood and water that flow from his side. The community contemplates the pierced one.

37. Lent and Easter in John
In the Fourth Gospel we are invited to “Come and See” That in the Samaritan Woman our Thirst is quenched In the Man born blind we see as if for the first time In Lazarus we are raised to a new life In Jesus “raised up” we are invited to contemplate the triumph of love